March 2, 2020
The Federal Government is inviting public input on a discussion paper that will help support the agricultural sector to attract, retain and develop its future workforce.
The National Agricultural Workforce Strategy is being developed by the National Agricultural Labour Advisory Committee.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said having a varied and skilled workforce was critical to Australia’s $62 billion agriculture industry.
“Changes in regional populations and the agricultural industry are making it hard for employers to attract and retain the workers they require,” he said.
“We committed $1.9 million to develop an Agriculture Workforce Strategy.
“This strategy will quantify where, when and how the workforce is needed as well as inform the government (about) the types and numbers of visas needed for this workforce.
“Australia’s climate variability and weather extremes, such as the current bushfires, floods and drought, further add to this challenge.
“The skills needs of agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries and related supply chain service and processing industries are changing.
“There is increased demand for skilled people capable of operating sophisticated technologies.
“Australian agriculture is vibrant and offers a path for our kids to return to the bush.
“There will always be a need for seasonal workers and we need to get the settings right.
“All these challenges are canvassed in the discussion paper, which is a chance for people to share their views on how we can meet these challenges.”
The paper can be found on the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s Have your Say page.
Submissions must be submitted before June 30.
“We want industry to share their knowledge and views on how to create a sustainable and skilled workforce to support the growth target of agriculture reaching $100 billion by 2030,” Minister Littleproud said.
